Our members shine as finalists in the 2026 Archibald, Wynne, Sulman Prizes
May 7, 2026
We’re proud to see so many of our members named finalists in the 2026 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes. These are three of the most prestigious and closely followed awards in the Australian visual arts calendar.
Presented annually by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the prizes celebrate excellence across portraiture, landscape, sculpture and subject painting, showcasing the extraordinary breadth of contemporary Australian artistic practice. The most anticipated annual exhibition of Australian art, this year’s exhibition features 137 finalists selected from more than 2,500 entries across the three prizes.
The trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales judge the Archibald and Wynne Prizes and invite a guest artist to judge the Sulman each year. This year, the Sulman Prize will be judged by renowned artist Del Kathryn Barton.
The Archibald Prize, first awarded in 1921, is Australia’s best-known portrait prize. In this exhibition, Australian and New Zealand artists use portraiture to share the beauty and complexity of our times. Congratulations to our finalist members:
- Amanda Davies
- Robert Fielding
- Daniel Kim
- Guy Maestri
- Vincent Namatjira
- Meagan Pelham
- Stieg Persson
- Tom Polo
- James Powditch
- Thom Roberts
- Adrian Jangala Robertson
- Marikit Santiago
- Kaylene Whiskey
- Zoe Young
The Wynne Prize, established in 1897 to mark the opening of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, is Australia’s oldest art prize. It celebrates two major categories of art: Australian landscape painting and figurative sculpture. Congratulations to our finalist members:
- John Baird
- Nathan Beard
- Karen Black
- Harriette Bryant
- Betty Campbell
- Betty Chimney
- Donovan Christie
- Elisabeth Cummings
- Robert Fielding
- Guan Wei
- Claire Healy & Sean Cordeiro
- Nicole Kelly
- Noel McKenna
- Mantua Nangala
- Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran
- Philjames
- Sandra Pumani
- Marisa Purcell
The Sir John Sulman Prize, established in 1936, celebrates the best subject painting, genre painting or mural project. Congratulations to our finalist members:
- Suzanne Archer
- Karen Black
- Kaye Brown
- Jon Campbell
- Lottie Consalvo
- Sarah Contos
- Nathan Hawkes
- Fintan Magee & Abdul Abdullah
- Adrian Jangala Robertson
- Joan Ross
- Gareth Sansom
- Aida Tomescu
See the exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW
The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2026 exhibition will be on display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 9 May to 16 August 2026, before touring regional galleries across Australia. For exhibition details and tickets, visit the gallery’s website.